Men spend more time getting ready than women

Researchers also found that on an average men spend 23 minutes in the shower, compared to 22 minutes for women. Men then take 18 minutes on their shaving regime, compared to 14 minutes for women despite them having to trim legs, armpits and bikini line.

Men take a minute longer — 10 minutes — on cleansing, toning and moisturising. Choosing an outfit is also a time- consuming operation for men who want to look their best — taking 13 minutes compared to 10 minutes for women.

The study, based on a survey for Travelodge, also found that the average British person does not have a clue regarding the true value of their toiletry bag.

When quizzed, the average adult estimated their wash bag with contents to be worth 52.23 pounds when in reality the bag of essentials is worth nearly three times more at 156.69 pounds, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A spokeswoman for Travelodge said they had seen a rise in the number of toiletry bags being left behind in their 487 hotels.

In the last 12 months, hotel staff have spent hundreds of hours uniting 10,000 wash bags with their owners.

In one case a customer paid more than 100 pounds for a courier to pick up her toiletry bag, which she had left behind in a London hotel — the designer wash bag had 1,000 pounds worth of toiletry items.